de>GETTYSBURG, Pa. Gettysburg College student-athletes, coaches, and staff spend numerous hours serving the community, whether it’s locally, near their own homes, or beyond national borders.
Gettysburg athletic teams and staff hold dozens of fundraisers every year involving hundreds of student-athletes and staff and filling hours and weekends both during the season and outside of the regular competition schedule. The pandemic limited some of the hands-on engagement, but a number of programs found creative ways to remain active and help various causes.
Donating a little bit of time and energy from the daily grind of collegiate life isn’t enough for some student-athletes. Past and present Bullets have marched to the front lines to provide care and service for people dealing with a host of medical issues. For these student-athletes, it’s about being involved in something bigger than themselves and Gettysburg College.
Finally, our last collection of stories takes student-athletes outside of campus and across international borders. Gettysburg student-athletes embrace the opportunity to immerse themselves in and help other cultures, whether it’s building a house in Guatemala or drilling for water in Kenya.
Below are stories of student-athletes who serve the community.
Helping the Community
The athletic programs at Gettysburg have invested time in helping the local community, taking part in annual community service events or starting up new endeavors. The Adams County Heart Walk has been a yearly tradition for many teams and the College is typically one of the event’s biggest fundraisers. The Baseball team’s Take ALS Yard event has lasted nearly a decade and is closing in on its goal of $100,000 raised. The cross country/track and field programs led the way in the Run Against Hunger campaign last April, while the women’s basketball team has helped with Home For Our Troops over the last two years. In the past year, the men’s lacrosse program took part in two fundraising endeavors totaling over $10,000.
Gettysburg Teams Participate in Annual Heart Walk
Gettysburg Baseball Sets Sights on Take ALS Yard Goal
Bullets Race to the Front in the Run Against Hunger
Bullets Honor Veterans by Supporting Home For Our Troops
Men’s Lacrosse Participates in Fish For A Cure, Mustache Madness
Donating More Than Time
Sometimes student-athletes go above and beyond the call of duty. Logan Aikey ’19 registered as a bone marrow donor through Be The Match Registry at the same time he was tackling quarterbacks on the football field. Just a year after graduation, he was matched with a patient and supplied bone marrow cells. Other former and current student-athletes like volleyball’s Jordyn Horowitz ’22 have spent time on the front lines, trying to mend their way through the pandemic and help as many people as they can.
Logan Aikey ’19: A Match for Life
Gettysburgians Step Up to the Fight
Jordyn Horowitz ’22: Flying Above the Net
Service Without Borders
Service knows no boundaries at Gettysburg. Since 2014, the men’s soccer program has teamed up with Soccer With Borders to help refugees in transitioning to life in America. Women’s soccer player Molly O’Shea ’22 went to Guatemala and helped build a home for a family in need, while track and field athlete Fred Tubula ’22 looks to help his home country of Kenya by drilling for much-needed water.
Men’s Soccer Supports Soccer Without Borders
Molly O’Shea ’22: Building a Home with Heart
Fred Tubula ’22: Finding Inspiration in America
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.